Process of making artificial fertilizer, &amp;c.



- the addition of the nitrogenous or phos-,

JAMES H. CONNOR, 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA PROCESS OF G ARTIFICIAL FERTILIZER, 8w.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it'known that I, JAMES H. CONNOR, a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have 1nvented a new and'useful Improvement in Processes of Making Artificial Fertilizer, &c., of which the following is a. specification.

This invention relates to a process of manufacturing artificial fertilizer, and particu larlyfertilizer containing potassium compounds or products. The ob ect. of the 1nvention is to provide a method wherebya fertilizer having all of the ingredients to make a complete and perfect plant food, can be produced at a low cost, and in such form that the several plant food ingredients are lar ely water soluble and available.

enerally'stated, the invention consists 1n taking potassium containing vegetable matter, together with some nitrogenous organic matter, and tri-calcium phosphate, and, if desired, also open hearth or blast furnace slag or flue dust, and adding thereto water and a suitable reagent, and treating the entire mixture simultaneously in a closed vat, under steam pressure from 10 to 100 lbs, thereby thoroughly digesting the same, and then drawing ofi the liquor and boiling it down, preferably to a dry state.

The process also involves the production of potassium compounds from the potas-" sium containing vegetable matter, without phatic matter used in the production: of fertilizers.

As potash containing vegetable matter, 1

preferably use tobacco stems, that is the resi-' due from tobacco stemmeries, after the leaf has been stripped from the same. This contains from 6 to 12 per cent. potassium compound and from 2 to 4 per cent, of ammonia or nitrogen. This can be used either in a ground or crushed state, or can be first burned and the ash used. When it is of water, thereby extracting the nicotin as a by-product. This nicotin liquor-can be oonverted into any nicotin produofiby suitably 1 concentrating the same.

For producing a potassium compound, the potassium containing vegetable matter, such as tobacco stems, or the ash thereof is treated in a closed vat under steam pressure witha suitable alkaline re-agent, such as soda ash, caustic soda, soda bottoms or niter cake. Whatever re-agent is used is put in the vat packln Specification of Letters Patent. I Patented NOV, 5;, 191g, Application filed Apri1-27,19'16. serial No.93,881.

with the tobacco stems. or ash therefrom and is digested under the steam premure above named, after-which the liquor is drawn 0d,-

taken to another tank and boiled down, and can be used either in the wet form, or can be boiled down to dryness;

When producing'a fertilizer, there is added to the vet containing the tobacco stems or ash and the re-agent, other material depreferably what is known as tankage,

which is the sediment or residue refuse from g houses'or other industries,- remain ing in the rendering tank after the oil and grease have been extracted and the tank water drawn oii. Such matter is usually sub ]ected to pressure in order to expel the greater part of the water, and the residue is known as press-cake. I make use of this press-cake either in the wet state, that is as it comes from the press, or in the dry state,

thatis after beingpassed' through a drier, and in which form it is known as dry. tankage Such presscake contains var 'ng percentages of ammonia, and some ne phosphate according to the nature of the material from which it is obtained, and beforebeing-dried also contains from 40 to- 50 per cent. of moisture. Ihe fertilizer made from the tobacco stems and such refuse animal matter will contain potassium, ammonia,

nitrates and a certain percentage of bone phosphate, all in soluble and available form.

Phosphoric acid in the fertilizer may be obtained byadding to the vat any material containing bone phosphate of lime, such for instance as animal bone in any form, but

preferably from phosphate rock. This phosphatic material is added to the vat in pulverizedform, and the entire mixture is digested in the vat by means of the steam,

and the liquor afterward drawn olf and boiled down.' if more lime is desired, it can be supplied by adding to the vat either open hearthor granulated slag. Whenever slag is added ,an alkaline re-agent, preferably soda ash, is

necessary. The slag usually contains from 30 to 40 per cent. of a lime constituent mostly in the form of the silicate, but a portion existing as calcium oxid, 18 to 20 per cent. of iron, and about 9 per cent. of a calcium magnesium compound in the form of a silicate, and from 7 to 14: per cent. 01' magnesium salts. The slag is used in the form that it comes from the blast furnace whether granulated or in solid form, but if solid it must first be crushed to substantially the size of granulated slag. lfhe slag may be used either with or without the phosphate rock and refuse animal matter.

If desired, flue dust may also be added, this also containing a considerable amount of lime, and this can be used either with or without the phosphate rock or the refuse animal matter, depending upon the par ticular character of fertilizer to be produced. put in the vat with the re-agent, with water added, and then subjected to the digesting process above named. Preferably the steam is superheated, thus giving a high temperature.

The quantities. of the different ingredients that will be used will vary according to the percentage of potassium compounr, ammonia and phosphoric acid desired in the fertilizer, and also according to the strength of the different materials, it being well known that these materials vary in the percentage of ammonia, hone phosphate of lime and potassium compound contained therein. A very satisfactory fertilizer con taining all of these ingredients can be produced by using from 300 to 600 lbs. of tobacco stems, from 400 to 700 lbs. of ammoniacontaining animal refuse (measured in its wet state), and from 300 to 500 lbs. of finely pulverized bone phosphate of lime, together with the necessary quantity of the re-agent. When soda ash is used as the reagent, from 50 to 400 lbs. is sufficient. The amount of slag or line dust to be added will. depend upon the extent to which the lime content is to he raised.

By means of the above process a fertilizer can be produced which will be a complete and perfect plant food and in which the several ingredients are united in a uniform and homogeneous mixture and practically the all water soluble, thereby incre s market value of the material, well known, is based upon the percentage of soluble ingredients. Such fertilizer can be produced at low cost, due to the character of the materials employed and the simplio ity-of the process, in which all of the material is treated in a single operation in the vat.

What I claim is 1. The process of producing a fertilizer, which consists in digesting potassiunrcontaining vegetable matter, tri-calcium phosphatic material, and an alkaline reagent, in. a vat under steam pressure, and then drawing off the liquor and boiling it down.

2. The process of producing a fertilizer,

in all cases the entire mixture is which consists in digesting potassium-containing vegetable matter, tricalcium phosphatic material, and soda ash, in avat under steam pressure, and then draw...g off the liquor and boiling it down.

The process of producing a fer ilizer, which consists of digesting a tobacco prod uct, bone phosphate of lime and an all re-agent, in a vat under steam pressure, and then drawing oil the liquor and boiling it down.

a. The process of producing a fertilizer, which consists in digesting a tobacco product, bone phosphate of lime and soda ash, in a vat under steam pressure, and then drawing off the liquor and boiling it down.

5. The process of producing a fertilizer, which consists of digesting a tobacco product, nitrogenous animal matter, hone phosphate of lime and an alkaline re-agent, in a vat under steam pressure, and then drawing oil the liquor and boiling it down.

6. The process of producing a fertilizer, which consists of digesting a tobacco product, nitrogenous animal matter, phosphate rock and soda ash, in a vat under steam pres sure, and then drawing off the liquor boiling it down.

7. The process of producing fertilizer, which consists in digesting a tobacco product, slag and an alkaline ire-agent, in vat under steam pressure, and. then drawing ed the liquor and boiling it down.

8. The process of producing fertilizer, which consists in digesting a tobacco product, nitrogenous organic matter, slag and an alkaline re-agent, in a vat under steam pressure, and then drawing off the liquor and boiling it down.

9. The process of producing a fertilizer, which consists in digesting a tobacco product, flue dust and an allraiine re-agent, in a un r steam pressure, and then drawing off the liquor and boiling it down.

1 3. The process of producing a fertilizer,

which consists in digesting a tobacco product, nitrogenous organic matter, flue dust, and an alkaline re-agent, in a vat under steam pressure, and then drawing ed the liquor and boiling it down.

ll. The process of producing a fertilizer, which consists in digesting potassium-containing vegetable matter, a calcium-containing material, and an alkaline reagent, in a vet under steam pressure.

12. The process of producing a fertilizer,

v ich consists in digesting potassium-containing vegetable matter, a calcium-containing material, and soda ash, in a vat under steam pressure.

13. The process of producing a fertilizer, which consists in digesting potassium-containing vegetable matter, nitrogenous animal matter, and an alkaline re-agent, in a vat under steam pressure.

10 line re-agent, in a vat, under steam pressure.

16. The process of producing a fertilizer,

which consists in digesting potassium-con- 'taining Vegetable matter, flue dust, and an alkaline rc-agent, in a rat under steam pressure.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

JAMES H. CONNOR. Witnesses:

GLENN H. Lnnnscrm, A. E. JoHNsoN. 

